The present invention relates generally to article conveying or transporting systems, and more particularly to a new and improved system for use within, for example, mail or similar flat article sorting, transporting, handling, and stacking systems, wherein flat pieces or units of mail, such as, for example, post cards, magazines, fliers, or the like, or other similar articles, which would otherwise tend to roll over on themselves in a semi-circular form, as a result of being precurled, or as a result of undergoing curvature or sagging, after being released from its conveyor mechanism and deposited within a stacked array formed within a suitable accumulation and stacking chamber, receptacle, or compartment, are effectively prevented from undergoing or experiencing such rollover so as not to adversely affect the continuous mail or article sorting, transporting, handling, and stacking operations.
In connection with mail or similar flat article sorting, transporting, stacking, and handling systems, flat pieces or units of mail, or other similar articles, are conventionally transported by means of a suitable conveyor, such as, for example, a belt conveyor comprising a plurality of laterally spaced endless belts, and the transported pieces of mail or similar articles are then adapted to be sorted and stacked within stacked arrays or piles formed within a stacking chamber, receptacle, or compartment. In view of the fact that different types of pieces or units of mail, or similar articles, having, for example, different size or length dimensions, are being continuously conveyed or transported by means of the transport conveyor mechanism toward and into the stacking chamber, receptacle, or compartment, care must be taken so as to ensure the fact that the pieces or units of mail, or the similar articles, are in fact serially placed upon each other in a flat stacked array. This mode of operation, however, is not always able to be readily achieved, and therefore, problems or difficulties often occur in connection with maintaining the system continuously operative with minimum operational downtime.
For example, in connection with the conveyance, transportation, and handling of conventional stiff post cards, and due to the inherent structural characteristics of stiff post cards, that is, that they exhibit a somewhat greater degree of rigidity than, for example, twenty pound weight paper, or the like, as a result of being fabricated from a different type of paper product than, for example, twenty pound weight paper, post cards are easily bent and also tend to exhibit or undergo curling. Similarly, magazines have a relatively low degree of rigidity and therefore tend to readily curve downwardly or sag. Accordingly, when such flat articles are being transported or conveyed within a conventional mail or similar article sorting, transporting, handling, and stacking system, they can cause operational problems or difficulties because they do not tend to remain in a relatively flattened state.
More particularly, when such flat articles are released from the belted conveyor transport and allowed to fly toward and into the stacking chamber, receptacle, or compartment so as to be placed flatly on top of a stacked array within the stacking chamber, receptacle, or compartment, the curling of the flat articles often causes leading edge portions of the mail pieces to roll over onto themselves in flight, or to trip and roll over when encountering a trailing edge portion of a previously stacked flat article within the stacking chamber, receptacle, or compartment. As a result of such encounter, the incoming flat article is not in fact deposited, in a flat and face-up orientation, on top of the stacked array of previous pieces, articles, or units, so that subsequent flat articles are also not properly deposited upon the stacked array of the previous flat articles. In this case, jamming of the conveyor and stacking system can occur necessitating an operational stoppage of the system until the jammed state of the flat article is able to be rectified. Equally importantly, even if a jam does not occur, subsequent mail fed to the stack will not always come to rest fully and completely on top of the previous curled piece, which had come to rest in its semi-circular form, whereby the previous curled piece nests a subsequent piece inside of it. This nesting of the subsequent or following piece partially inside of the previous semi-rolled-over piece causes an out of order mixing situation of the previously sorted flat articles.
A need therefore exists in the art for a new and improved article conveyor or transportation system, particularly a conveyor or transportation system which is especially useful in connection with the sorting, transporting, handling, and stacking of pieces or units of mail, or similar articles, wherein the various pieces or units of mail, or similar articles, can be conveyed or transported, for example, from the belt conveyor toward and into the stacking chamber, receptacle, or compartment in a substantially flat state regardless of the inherent tendency of the particular pieces or units of mail, or similar flat articles, to either curl, curve, or sag, causing partial or complete rollovers, whereby the pieces or units of mail, or similar articles, can be properly stacked within the stacking chamber, receptacle, or compartment so as not to cause any hindrance to the continuous conveyance or transportation of the pieces or units of mail, or similar flat articles, whereby, further, the article conveyor or transportation system can operate in a substantially continuous manner without experiencing any jamming and that the flat articles all stack serially.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved article conveyor or transportation system which is especially useful in connection with the sorting, transporting, handling, and stacking of pieces or units of mail or similar flat articles.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved article conveyor or transportation system which is especially useful in connection with the sorting, transporting, handling, and stacking of pieces or units of mail, or similar articles, and which effectively overcomes the various disadvantages or drawbacks characteristic of current conventional article sorting, transporting, handling, and stacking systems.
An additional object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved article conveyor or transportation system which is especially useful in connection with the sorting, transporting, handling, and stacking of pieces or units of mail, or similar articles, wherein the various pieces or units of mail, or similar articles, can be conveyed or transported, for example, from the belt conveyor toward and into the stacking chamber, receptacle, or compartment in a substantially flat state regardless of the inherent tendency of the particular pieces or units of mail, or similar articles, to either curl, curve, or sag, causing partial or complete rollovers, whereby the pieces or units of mail, or similar articles, can be properly serially stacked within the stacking chamber, receptacle, or compartment.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved article conveyor or transportatation system which is especially useful in connection with the sorting, transporting, handling, and stacking of pieces or units of mail, or similar articles, wherein the various pieces or units of mail, or similar articles, can be conveyed or transported, for example, from the belt conveyor toward and into the stacking chamber, receptacle, or compartment in a substantially flat state regardless of the inherent tendency of the particular pieces or units of mail, or similar articles, to either curl, curve, or sag, causing partial or complete rollovers, whereby the pieces or units of mail, or similar articles, can be properly stacked within the stacking chamber, receptacle, or compartment so as not to cause any hindrance to the continuous conveyance or transportation of the pieces or units of mail, or similar flat articles, whereby, further, the article conveyor or transportation system can operate in a substantially continuous manner without experiencing any jamming so as to obviate or render unnecessary required maintenance in order to rectify the problem and to additionally eliminate any operational downtime of the apparatus or system.
The foregoing and other objectives are achieved in accordance with the teachings and principles of the present invention through the provision of a new and improved article conveyor or transportation system which is especially useful in connection with the sorting, transporting, handling, and stacking of different pieces or units of mail, or similar flat articles, and which comprises a belt conveyor for conveying or transporting the pieces or units of mail, or similar articles, and a stacking chamber, receptacle, or compartment within which the conveyed or transported pieces or units of mail, or similar articles, are stacked. A pair of guide fingers are pivotally mounted upon a wall member, disposed at the upstream end of the stacking chamber, receptacle, or compartment, so as to be disposed at an elevational level which is just slightly below the upper level of the belt conveyor, wherein the guide fingers are also movable between closed deployed or extended positions, and opened non-deployed or retracted positions.
When the guide fingers are disposed at their closed deployed or extended positions, the guide fingers overly the floor of the stacking chamber, receptacle, or compartment, or alternatively, the uppermost one of the stacked pieces or units of mail, or similar articles, so as to effectively extend the plane of the belt conveyor. The closed deployed or extended guide fingers will therefore be disposed beneath the piece or unit of mail, or similar article, currently being conveyed, and in this manner, the guide fingers support the leading end of the piece or unit of mail, or similar flat articles, and thereby ensure that the leading end of the piece or unit of mail, or similar flat article, being conveyed cannot in effect curl downwardly of sag significantly so as to either roll over upon itself or encounter a trailing edge portion of a previously conveyed piece or unit of mail, or similar article, now disposed upon the stacked array of mail or articles, whereby in addition, the piece or unit of mail, or similar article, being conveyed is in fact deposited either upon the floor of the stacking chamber, receptacle, or compartment, or upon the uppermost one of the stacked pieces or units of mail, or similar articles, in a substantially flattened state.
Once the piece or unit of mail, or similar article, has been conveyed into the stacking chamber, receptacle, or compartment so as to be properly disposed within the stacked array of pieces or units of mail, or similar articles, the guide fingers are then moved back to their opened non-deployed or retracted positions so as to effectively become dislodged from their positions beneath the piece or unit of mail, or similar article, just deposited within the stacking chamber, receptacle, or compartment, and in this manner, the piece or unit of mail, or similar article, just deposited within the stacking chamber, receptacle, or compartment can actually be disposed atop the floor of the stacking chamber, receptacle, or compartment, or alternatively upon the uppermost one of the stacked pieces or units of mail, or similar articles, in a flat and serial manner. Subsequently, the guide fingers are again moved back to their closed deployed or extended positions so as to now be disposed atop the uppermost one of the pieces or units of mail, or similar articles, disposed within the stacked array of mail or articles, in readiness for guiding a newly conveyed piece or unit of mail, or similar article, onto the stacked array of mail or articles. The apparatus or system is then continuously operated in the aforenoted cyclical manner.